Chest exercise
Cable Fly (Mid Height)How to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Cable Fly?
- Set both pulleys at shoulder height and hold a handle in each hand.
- Step forward, soft knees, lean slightly forward with arms out wide.
- Sweep your hands together in front of your chest.
- Pause, then open your arms slowly along the same arc.
Cues
- Fixed, soft elbows
- Hug a big tree
- Shoulders down and back
Common mistakes
- Pressing instead of hugging: keep the elbow bend fixed.
- Arms stretched far behind you: stop at your body's side line.
- Rounding the shoulders: keep the chest up throughout.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Both pulleys of a cable crossover set at shoulder height or a little above (up to about 10 cm higher). One D-handle in each hand. The lifter stands centred between the columns and takes one step forward of the pulley line so the arms are out to the sides with the cables taut. Feet hip-width apart (a short staggered stance is also fine), knees slightly bent. Trunk leaning forward slightly, about 10° from vertical, as one straight line from hips to head; chest up, shoulder blades back and down. Grip with the palms facing forward at the start, turning to face each other as the hands meet. Wrists straight.
The movement
A wide horizontal "hug" arc, moving only at the shoulders. The elbows do not bend further or straighten; the hands travel round a big circle, not straight forward. Trunk lean, hips and feet stay still. On the return the arms open along the same arc under control.
End position
(turnaround point): The hands meet in front of the mid-chest, a little below shoulder height because of the forward lean, handles touching or up to about 5 cm apart, not crossing. Elbows still at the same slight bend; brief squeeze of about 1 s.
Tempo
1.5 s bringing the hands together, 1 s hold, 2 s opening.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulley height | shoulder height | shoulder to 10 cm above | |
| Feet | hip-width, soft knees | short staggered stance allowed | |
| Forward trunk lean | 10° | 5–15° | |
| Elbow flexion (fixed) | 15° | 10–25° | |
| Arm height through the arc | about shoulder height | horizontal ±10° | |
| Hands behind body line at start | 0–5° | up to 10° | |
| Hands at end | in front of mid-chest | handles touching to 5 cm apart | |
| Close / hold / open | 1.5 s / 1 s / 2 s | 1–2 s / 0.5–1 s / 1.5–3 s |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Cable Fly is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
